The present disclosure relates generally to turbine engines and, more specifically, to a turbine engine with a bearing assembly including retention mechanisms for maintaining engagement of a housing and an annular bearing retention nut.
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor, a combustor, and at least one turbine. The compressor may compress air, which may be mixed with fuel and channeled to the combustor. The mixture may then be ignited for generating hot combustion gases, and the combustion gases may be channeled to the turbine. The turbine may extract energy from the combustion gases for powering the compressor, as well as producing useful work to propel an aircraft in flight, such as by driving a fan or propeller, or to power a load, such as an electrical generator.
Rotating turbomachinery, such as that found in gas turbine engines, frequently contains one or more bearing assemblies to support rotating components within stationary housings or between or within other rotating apparatus. Such bearing assemblies typically feature one or more bearing retainers to secure the bearing in place relative to other structures. Bearing retainers may be removable to permit initial assembly and/or repair of elements of the bearing assembly.
Removable bearing retainers often take the form of a nut or collar threadably engaged externally or internally on the end of a shaft or housing. When the shaft or housing is subjected to significant cyclic loads or other radial motion under certain operating conditions, large deflections or distortion of the shaft or housing can occur which diminishes the contact between contacting surfaces of the bearing retainer and the shaft or housing. This diminished contact can lead to the bearing retainer “jumping threads” or otherwise moving axially relative to the shaft or housing and allowing the bearing to move from its installed position due to the loss of positive retention.